New champ in town

Although
elite (professional) triathlete Rachel Sears-Casanta has been around
the world, competed at many levels and can live anywhere, she now calls
Ventura home. She and husband, Phil Casanta, a Ventura native who
returns to his hometown, permanently moved here in September. “Ventura
has so many competitive opportunities” says Sears-Casanta. “We are
excited to be here”.

The former duathlon world champion trains daily. A typical day begins
with an early morning run of 10-plus miles along the beach to watch the
sunrise and the surfers rise out of the crashing surf. On some days she
joins a few other hardy souls to swim around the pier.

Just prior to relocating to Ventura, the elite athlete competed as a
member of the USA Elite women’s team at the 2010 International
Triathlon Union Long Course Triathlon World Championship in Immenstadt,
Germany. The team brought home gold medals for the U.S. with their
superior efforts. Less than a month later, Rachel again was on the run,
this time as a member of the 2010 ITU Duathlon World Championship team
in Edinburgh, Scotland. This also resulted in medal status.

A ten-year veteran of professional racing, Sears-Casanta has competed
in Ironman triathlons including Hawaii Ironman World Championships,
Ironman Canada, Ironman Florida and Ironman Western Australia. Throw in
a few dozen half-ironman races, numerous marathons, duathlons and
“short-course” events and you will have just glimpsed a portion of the
accomplishments in this competitor’s life.

When not out training on the bicycle (a “short” ride might be 40 miles
or so) or running, it’s off to work at her new place of business,
Hypercat, Inc. in Ventura. She and Phil formed over nine years ago in
the San Francisco Bay area, building up clientele from across the
country. The coaching company and bike fit studio relocated to Ventura
in September 2010 and is now located on Market Street.

What does Hypercat do, you may ask? The Hypercat Racing arm of the
company specializes in endurance coaching and consulting for teams,
runners, cyclists and competitors at all levels. Over in the Hypercat
Bike Works studio Phil oversees the custom bicycle sales and bike fit
services offered by the company.

Locally, Sears-Casanta is often seen at weekend races not only
participating, but also offering encouragement and training
opportunities to new and established athletes alike from the Hypercat
tent. She is a USA Triathlon certified Level II coach, as well as a USA
Cycling Level II and USA track and field Level I coach. In addition,
she currently serves as administrator for the USA Triathlon Southwest
Region.

How to find Rachel, Phil and Hypercat: www.rachelsears.com; 4160 Market
Street, Suite #13, Ventura, 477-0353, or www.hypercat.com. Look for the
orange cat on the window.

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